Fallen Angel with an Attitude
by Winter-Nights16
Summary: Synopsis: Even Dark Pit needs help at times. What happens when he finds himself in need of assistance from a human after returning from the Underworld? Takes place after Chapter 9.


**A/N:** **The relationship between Dark Pit and Hesper is meant to be a platonic one as I prefer to not ship my OCs with canon characters in public fanfictions. Also, I apologize in advance if DP seems OOC. Adding on to that, I gave him a temporary nickname in this story just because I feel like he's not the type to freely give out his real name to a stranger. Lastly, author-chan hasn't actually played the game, so her knowledge on the monsters are very,** _ **very**_ **limited, almost nonexistent. Bear with me, please! ^^;**

* * *

Hesper still had no idea how she got caught up in this mess in the first place. All she wanted was to go out into the forest to collect herbs, but then something crashed through the trees and slammed into her. Next thing she knew, she was struggling to carry a strange boy and a heavy, silver bow back home.

The boy had pale skin and messy, raven hair with a golden laurel crown nestled atop his head. He adorned fancy clothes in a Greek style, all colored in shades of black, dark teal, and trims of gold. A violet gem embedded into a gold fibula kept the elaborate clothing pinned together. But the weirdest thing about the boy was the pair of dark wings that protruded from his back.

The people in the village would've screamed in horror at the apparent fallen angel, but Hesper couldn't bring herself to just _leave_ him. Besides, it was clear that he was injured, and her parents taught her to help those in need. They may not be alive anymore, but she always strived to follow their example.

Hesper finally got back to her small house at the edge of town and shoved the door open. She shuffled inside and laid the strange angel onto her bed. Trying to be considerate, she positioned him so that he was on his side, which prevented his wings from getting crushed beneath him.

For some unknown reason, the angel was covered in scratches, bruises, and a few burns, though she suspected that a some of them came from his fall through the trees. The next half hour was spent treating his injuries with the very herbs she had gone out to collect. Soon, the few bandages she owned were wrapped securely around all the serious wounds. Satisfied with her work, Hesper left the sleeping angel to rest while she prepared an early dinner for both her and her new guest.

Hesper was poorer than average but richer than the poorest. Ever since she became an orphan, she struggled to provide enough for herself by completing any spare jobs for the other townspeople and growing her own garden. She would make her own medicine and collect herbs from the forest, haul up her own bucket of water from the well, and save every coin she could collect to buy any other necessities. In a few words, Hesper lived a simple life. Most of her time was spent trying to survive.

Now, she had another life to care for. Being taught to always show hospitality, she was willing to give the best of what she had to the new guest, even if he looked far from a normal human being.

Midway through her preparation of soup, a loud clatter sounded out from her room. She stopped cooking in confusion and tilted her head, straining to hear anything else out of the ordinary. A soft groan and the shuffling of feet soon reached her ears, and Hesper dropped what she was doing to rush to the awakened angel's aid.

He emerged from her room limping slightly, his hair even more disheveled than before, and a blanket tangled between his legs. The fallen angel growled softly in annoyance as he tugged the blanket away from him and carelessly tossed it behind him. Hesper simply stood frozen, watching his irritated behavior. It wasn't long before her violet eyes locked onto his ruby ones. They stared at each other for several awkward moments before he let out a scoff and began to limp toward the door. That was when Hesper snapped out of her stupor.

"Hey!" she called out. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Anywhere away from here," he retorted.

"Not like that, you aren't. You're hurt! You shouldn't be wandering around in that condition!"

"I don't have to listen to you."

The stubborn angel reached out to grab the doorknob when Hesper caught up to him and abruptly pulled him away. He let out a grunt of pain as he stumbled into her. She raised a brow at him and pushed him into a chair, gently lifting his right foot. The boy winced and tried to pull away, but her grip held firm. With much reluctance, he gave in and sat still while she examined his right leg.

Moments afterward, she clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You've broken your foot. It's no wonder you were having trouble walking around," she muttered, though it sounded more like she was talking to herself.

"Thank you _so_ much, Captain Obvious," the angel snapped, crossing his arms and leaning back into the chair nonchalantly. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

She glanced at him with a glare, but otherwards stayed silent. He smirked back pridefully. Suddenly, pain shot through his leg and he nearly jumped out of his seat. He let out a yell of pain and glared at the girl. She gave him a smile too innocent to be believable as she began to secure a conveniently placed branch to his broken foot with long strips of cloth. Once she finished the splint, she brushed imaginary dust off of her skirt and left the room for a moment, quickly returning with a wooden tray. Atop the surface sat a bowl of soup and a small loaf of bread.

"Here, you look hungry."

"What makes you say that?" the angel asked defiantly.

"Well for starters, you're paler than normal and thinner than what I think would be considered healthy."

The angel opened his mouth to argue, but he was interrupted by a loud growling from his stomach. Hesper grinned triumphantly while he glared at her.

"Give it here," he ordered meekly, and she gladly handed the food over. As he ate, she found another chair to sit in and silently scrutinized him. He glared at her in annoyance. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You must be strong," she mumbled absentmindedly. "Though, I should expect as much from an angel."

"Where did that come from?"

"Hmm? Oh. I was just thinking about how it wasn't obvious at first that your foot was broken, and when you fell from the sky earlier you weren't as injured as anyone else would have been. I don't have any experience with angels, but you're definitely stronger than anyone I know."

He scoffed. "Obviously."

"… You never introduced yourself."

The angel looked at her wearily. "I don't see any reason to."

She shrugged, deciding to back down for now. "Suit yourself. But if you won't tell me, then I'll start calling you Kage." (A/N: Pronounced kah-geh)

"Kage" made a face, but stubbornly stayed silent. Once he finished his food, Hesper brought the used dishes to the bucket she used as a sink. Her stomach grumbled softly, but she ignored it as she began the task of washing the tableware. It didn't take long for her guest to become bored and he soon appeared beside her, an apathetic expression on his face.

After a while, out of nowhere, he asked, "What's your name?"

She raised a brow at him. "Are you finally getting curious?"

"Of course not! I just want to know the name of the one I owe a debt to."

A strange mixture of disappointment and happiness filled her chest. Too bad he saw her act of kindness as simply a debt to pay. "My name is Hesper."

"Hesper," Kage repeated. "Hey, do you live alone?"

"Yes, I do."

"Why? Shouldn't you be living with your parents?"

The girl turned and gave him a bittersweet smile. It surprised him, though he hid it well. She reminded him too much of his light counterpart with that look.

"My parents were killed protecting me from Underworld monsters," she admitted, guilt overflowing from her voice. "I've been living alone since."

Not sure how to react to the topic of loss, the angel stayed silent and quickly directed his gaze to the setting sun outside. He wasn't used to expressing sympathy as he had never had any reason to. The awkward moments were filled with nothing but the sound of water, dishes hitting against each other, and the two's quiet breathing. Once the task was finished, Hesper led him back to her room and strictly ordered him to rest.

"The faster you recover, the sooner you can leave, since that's what you want so much," she told him. With that said, she left him to his own thoughts as she settled onto a mat left in the main room.

* * *

Dark Pit had no intention to obey and stay like she had instructed. No, he planned to leave the moment she fell asleep. He took a short nap and awoke in the middle of the night to the calming sound of cicadas and crickets. He rose from the bed and crept to the main entrance, glancing at Hesper, who was tucked snugly beneath thin blankets. The expression on her face was a troubled one, but other than that, she seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Something in his heart urged him to stay the night and enjoy this momentary break from reality. Maybe it was the fact that someone had genuinely cared for his well being, and not just because he happened to resemble a certain optimistic angel. Maybe it was the fact that this small house, despite being little more than a shack, felt like a place one could call home.

Maybe it was the fact that here he had met a human girl who had lost her carefree childhood and any happiness that should have been given to her. Maybe it was because she had lost so much because of the stupid wars gods waged upon not only the heavens, but the Earth as well. Maybe it was because this girl seemed just as much of a broken wanderer without a clear purpose as he was.

Maybe it was because deep down, the fallen angel was yearning for the comfort of a family and a home.

Dark Pit shook his head vigorously to rid his mind of those thoughts. What was he thinking? He was an independent angel who possessed wings of freedom. He was beholden to no one and nothing, just the way he wanted to be.

With his resolve now renewed, Dark Pit confidently opened the door and left without a trace. He may be injured from fighting in the Underworld, but he could still fly wherever his heart desired.

* * *

She couldn't quite explain what it was, but something awoke Hesper _way_ too early in the morning. Her mind, disoriented from fatigue, processed her surroundings slowly as she rubbed her tired eyes. However, she immediately froze when the wind carried a strange sound to her ears through the open windows. A strange foreboding feeling filled her heart, the same feeling she had on the day her parents died…

Suddenly, the awfully familiar sound of some sort of blast echoed through the quiet village and Hesper was startled into alertness. Several more followed, and she scrambled out of her mat. Rushing to her bedroom, she slammed the poor door open. To her shock and dismay, Kage was nowhere to be seen.

 _Did he leave?_ she wondered sadly.

However, she shook away those thoughts. If he wanted to leave that bad, then she had no right to stop him. Right now, she had to focus on the problem at hand. Under the bed, she pulled out her father's bow and quiver of arrows, strapping his hunting knife to a belt that she tightened around her waist. Fortunately, her father never was one to follow social norms and he made sure to teach her how to shoot and defend herself even when she was young.

The sound of battle and screams soon filled the night air and it wasn't long before Hesper ran out of her house to join them. A horde of Underworld monsters hovered above the town, some swooping down to attack the panicking people.

"Oh, no you don't!" she yelled, shooting at a monoeye that was about to charge into a fleeing family.

The arrow sailed through the air and hit its target, which was both good and bad. Good because it distracted the monster long enough for the family to run to safety. Bad because now it was glaring at Hesper. And as if that wasn't enough, several other monsters were staring at her, too, naturally gravitating toward the fighters of the town. After all, once you take down the all defenders, everyone else becomes easy prey.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot!" Hesper muttered to herself as she began running through the town while simultaneously dodging enemy fire. "Why can't you monsters ever pick on creatures your own size?!"

The girl quickly ducked into a house, just barely escaping a giant ball of energy. However, it blasted the front of the house apart, sending debris flying everywhere. Hesper stifled a cry of alarm as she shielded her head with her arms. Rubble fell all around her, kicking up dust and dirt into the air. Once everything settled. The girl carefully removed herself from the destruction and ran to hide behind another house.

Although she was lucky enough to be out of the way of the heavy damage of the previous building, she still gained a few scratches and bruises. Hesper clicked her tongue disapprovingly. She didn't think she had enough supplies back at home to treat her injuries. Good thing they were mostly minor scrapes.

Glancing back around the corner, she assessed the state of the town. By now, most of the villagers had ran into the nearby woods for shelter, and anyone else who had stayed were doing their best to fight the Underworld forces. Although most houses looked untouched, many had also been blasted apart or burned down. Still, it wasn't looking very good for the small village. At this rate, the monsters would win. Where was the goddess Palutena when the people needed her?

Deciding that she had taken enough of a break, Hesper pushed herself off of the wall and charged back into the fray, shooting her arrows at the flying monsters. She managed to take a couple down, but to her dismay, she had used up a majority of her arrows in the process.

The girl took a couple steps back to rest, but ended up knocking over a strange, inconveniently placed jar. She stared down at it in confusions when it began to shake. Suddenly, a snake head shot out of the jar, hissing violently at her. Hesper screamed and quickly backed away to avoid getting bit. She dropped her bow and unsheathed her dagger, holding it up in a defensive position as the shemum hovered before her.

"Stay back!" she ordered, pointing her weapon in a way that she hoped would appear threatening.

Unfortunately, the monster didn't find her very intimidating, and it began to fly closer and closer.

 _Here goes nothing_ , she thought with a grimace.

Hesper leaped forward, jabbing her dagger out to slash at the shemum before quickly retreating again. It hissed angrily and began moving faster, trying to bite her arm. The girl danced out of reach, swinging her knife whenever its face got too close for comfort.

They had soon found an unusual yet steady rhythm. Hesper would strike the monster, then back away while the shemum gradually closed the gap between them. The girl was feeling proud of how well she was doing at fending the flying snake off… until something hit her back.

She glanced behind her to see that she had hit a wall. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized that she had gotten herself cornered. The shemum hissed in what sounded like an amused laugh, and Hesper quickly turned back around with her knife pointing steadily at the monster.

"Stay back!"

This time, the snake wasn't so willing to play along. Its tail whipped at her hand, knocking the blade for her grasp and sending it out of reach. Hesper blinked at the empty space where her knife had formerly been, then pulled her hand to her chest with a nervous laugh.

"Uh… good, flying-snake-creature…?" she stuttered, trying to appeal to the shemum.

A proud, gloating look filled its eyes as it bared its fangs. Hesper held her arms up to shield herself as she braced for the incoming pain. However, it never came. Instead, a screech echoed loudly as a burst of light flashed before her, and then the sound of flapping snake wings and hissing throats suddenly disappeared.

The girl opened one eye and cautiously peeked around one arm. The shemum was gone. In its place stood a familiar, raven haired boy.

"Kage?!" Hesper exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

The aforementioned angel scowled at the name, but he didn't comment on it. Anything was better than Pittoo. Well, except for Blapi. That was just as bad, but that was beside the point.

"I didn't fly far from here before I heard the sound of attacking monsters," Dark Pit explained curtly. "Don't get me wrong. I may be a jerk who's willing to sneak out in the middle of the night, but I still hate injustice. I didn't like the idea of Underworld forces razing villages, so I came back to lend a hand. Then, lo and behold, I find you cowering in a corner, about to get bitten by some dumb snake."

"I wasn't cowering!" Hesper protested indignantly. She quickly went to grab her knife before presenting it proudly to the angel. "See? I'll have you know I was _fighting_ until a few moments ago, not standing around helplessly like a damsel in distress!"

Dark Pit scoffed. "Could've fooled me."

The girl glared at him, but chose not to retort back. She sheathed her dagger before going to retrieve her bow. "We should go help the others."

"Already on it."

A gust of wind hit Hesper's back, and she turned to see Dark Pit take off into the air. She watched for a moment as the boy shot down several monsters with his own weapon before shaking herself from her reverie and running to contribute to the fight.

Unfortunately, she was running low on arrows, so she took to destroying any shemum pots she found and stabbing any of the flying monsters that got too close to land. Dark Pit's arrival boosted morale as the other townsfolk cheered and fought harder than before. He added a ton to the effort as he took down more monsters than anyone else. Of course, this was to be expected from an angel like him.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the monsters were soon all taken care of. Dark Pit landed beside Hesper as he looked around to be sure that there were no threats left. During this time, families began returning from the forests, and all the villagers gathered around him. A soft murmuring spread amongst the people as they scrutinized the dark angel. The whispers soon turned into praises, and then they burst into cheers. Dark Pit's eyes widened in surprise when he realized that they were looking at _him_. The jubilance was in his honor. They were _cheering_ for him.

Hesper eagerly joined the din, clapping and shouting to the sky. "Thank the heavens for our saving grace, the angel with raven wings!" she yelled joyfully. Then, she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and more quietly whispered, "Thank you so much for helping us all out, Kage. You saved the town, and you also saved me. We owe you."

Dark Pit felt the corners of his lips pull up into a small smile. This must be how Pit felt. It was an unusual yet pleasant sensation to be the one in the spotlight, to be shown love by the people that he had saved. As reluctant as he would be to admit it out loud, he enjoyed it. The attention and the adoration felt wonderful. It was definitely a moment that he would treasure forever.

* * *

"You won't be staying longer?" Hesper asked as she slowly wiped a soapy rag over a plate.

"Nah. I'm not one to stay in a single place for too long," Dark Pit replied from the chair placed beside her. "I've only been here this past week to let my foot fully heal. Doctor's order, ya know?"

The brunette hummed softly. "Sounds like a very smart doctor."

"At times."

"Hey, now," Hesper said as she shot Dark Pit a mock glare. "Anyway, I'm glad your better now. You recovered incredibly fast, but you're an angel, so I'm not all that surprised. Just be careful not to get injured anymore, yeah?"

"No promises," Dark Pit said with a shrug. "It's kinda part of my job description."

The girl paused in her task to glance at her companion. She knew that this day would come eventually. He had tried to sneak out the first night of his stay, after all. Besides, she had no right to tether down an angel.

"Well, of you ever need anything, I'll always be here," she said, resuming the chore of dish washing.

"Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind."

Hesper couldn't hold back the smile at hearing the seriousness in his tone. They had grown close over the past week. Not enough for the dark angel to tell her his real name, but enough that he wasn't as sarcastic and snarky when he spoke to her. She'd like to think that they'd become close enough to be considered friends.

"I'll leave tonight, after sunset," Dark Pit spoke up, pulling the girl from her thoughts.

"What, you don't want to stay long enough to sleep? Who knows when next you'll be able to have a bed," Hesper pointed out.

"Tempting, but I'll have to pass. I have unfinished business, and I'd like to get to handle it as soon as possible. Thanks for the hospitality, though. Really."

Hesper stopped her work again and turned to face her charge with a genuine smile. "It's no trouble. Everyone's got to help each other, especially during these wartimes, ya know?"

Dark Pit chuckled softly. Of only the gods and goddesses could say the same. "Yeah, well, it was nice to have a home for once, even if it was only for a little while."

"Don't be silly, Kage. You'll always have a home here. The door is always open!"

"Thanks, Hesper. That means a lot to me."

The angel stared out the window to watch the setting sun. He would miss being there, that much was true, but he really should move on. His rival was still out there, basking in the light, and Hades was scheming in the shadows as well. But Dark Pit silently promised to come visit again. After all, everyone could use a break now and then.

~*Fin*~


End file.
